The Freelance Chronicles #9
Boy did I pick an interesting year to jump into the freelancing world. As an Auckland-based freelancer, as of 12pm on Wednesday, 12 August, we’re all going back into COVID-19 Alert Level 3 lockdown.
Personally, I’m glad. I would rather we stamp this new wave out together, quickly, rather than run the risk of it spreading and making more, and vulnerable, people sick. But I’m still really sad and fidgety about it. All that uncertainty came rushing back at 9.15pm last night. Our lockdown is only supposed to be for three days, but as we know, investigations are still under way, so I’m preparing my headspace for a longer stint if it happens.
Lockdown, for me, thankfully, is not a barrier to my work. I work with a range of amazing clients who have adopted me into the fold of their business in a remote manner (for the majority). I’m lucky to be able to continue doing what I love, from afar, and be able to pay the bills. I’m just one of those people who likes to plan. I can be spontaneous and adaptable, of course, but being able to have a bit of a grip on what’s around the corner is something I like to have. And that’s not completely plausible right now (she says as she cancels two appointments booked for today…).
Freelancing, and especially freelancing in the world of COVID-19, has really challenged this mindset. I’ve had to become far more fluid with rapid change and completely changing content I’ve created really quickly to make it relatable to the ever-changing landscape. Evergreen content has never been more important! Adopting new systems has never been a problem for me, but now it’s about managing the amount of systems I need to keep tabs on due to the wide variety my clients use to stay in contact and to get jobs done. Organisation in a time of crisis like this is absolutely essential, so it’s very lucky I’m an incredibly organised person!
Honestly, I may have picked the most chaotic year to become a freelancer, but I’m not going anywhere else in a hurry. The new skills I’m picking up along the way and the amazing people I’m lucky enough to work with are keeping me going. Three months to go until I hit the one-year mark!
Keep safe everyone. Kia kaha.